Fruit-drier



(No Model.) Q 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

' F. S. BELOHER & P. A. HOOKER;

FRUIT DRIER'.

.6 Patented Aug. 22, 1882;

N. PETERS. Pho ib-Ulhugmpbar. Wnh nmm. D- C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

F. S. BELOI-IER 8: F. A. HOOKE FRUIT DRIER.

No. 263,101. Patented Aug. 22, 1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE.

FRANK S. BELGHER AND FRANK A. HOOKER, OF CHARLOTTE, MICHIGAN.

FRUlT-eDRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,101, dated August22, 1882.

Application filed April 3,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK S. BELCHER and FRANK A. HOOKER, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Charlotte, in the county of Eaton andState of Michigan, have invented certain new, and useful Improvements inFruit- ]Jriers, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relatesto fruit-driers; and it consists in theconstruction and arrangement of its several parts, as will behereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,'Figure 1 is a perspective of the drier; Fig. 2, a viewof the fruit-screen; Fig. 3, the non-conducting'frame; Fig. 4,a verticalcross-section of the evaporator on the line :20 m, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 isa vertical longitudinal section of the boiler and itsevaporatingchamber.

A are separate horizontal sections, each of which contains anevaporatingchamber, a, a portion of the vertical end steam-columns, B,and the upper and lower halves of the horizontal com municating flues O,as shown. Any desired number of these sections may be bolted one uponthe other and the evaporator carried to any convenient height.

D is the boiler, to the top of which is bolt-ed the lower section of thesections A, as shown. It is provided with an inlet-pipe, d, whichextends up the ends of the section A to the top of the boiler. Agage-glass, d, is arranged in the lower portion of the pipe 01 toindicate theheight of water in the boiler. of the evaporator is placed asafety-valve, a, by which the pressure of steam in the evaporator can beregulated, according to the kind of fruit dried. The upper portion ofthe boiler is formedwith an evaporating-chamber, a, similar inconstruction to the chambers above it, and the upper edge of the boileris-t'ormed with a flange, by which the lower section A is bolted to it,as shown.

E is a frame of wood or other non-conduct-' ing material. One is placedupon each of the sections, and they serve to keep the fruit from contactwith the heated surface of the evaporating-chamber, whereby browning orburning of the fruit is prevented.

F is a fruitscreen, and is of ordinary con- In the top' struction. It isfilled with fruit, and one is placed upon each of the frames E withinthe evaporator, as shown in Fig. 4.

In the operation of the evaporator the steam rises in both the "erticalcolumns B and is carried around the evaporating-chambers through theflues C. By this arrangement the steam is communicated rapidly to allportions of the evaporator, the steam-pressure is equalized, and thefruit is dried without danger of its being browned or burned.

Another advantage this drier has for drying fruit rapidly is that theheat fiom the stove or furnace is rapidly communicated to all portionsof the drier, and is thence transmitted along the fines (3 more rapidlythan it the heated water or steam was compelled to travel backward andforward along each flue.

This drier also affords a ready means of transmission for the cold wateror condensed steam back to the boiler without affectingthe operation ofthe machine, as in this instance the cold water or condensed steamforces its way downwardly through the columns B, so that all portions ofthe evaporating-chambers are heated alike, no portion being made cold bythe passage along it of a mass of cold water.

What we claim is,

1. The fruit-drier consistingof the boiler D, having anevaporating-chamber, a, formed in its upper portion, the separatesections A, each formed with a portion of the continuous steamcolumn B,and upper and lower portions of the flues 0, all combined and arrangedto operate substantially asshown and described.

2. 111 a fruit-drier, the combination of the separate sections A,constructed with evaporating-chambers a, and vertical end steam-columns,B, provided with flanges around their upper and lower edges, wherebyhorizontal flues C-, communicating with the end columns, B, are formedbetween the evaporating-chambers a, substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK s. EELcHEE. FRANK A. HOOKER.

Witnesses:

E. HAYDEN, H. M. MUSGRAVE.

